Midspan service connector



United States Patent 3,087, 174/71 3,354,421 11/1967Rodgersl1l................... 339/198 [72] Inventor Jack D. ONeel 5420SW 18th, Des Moines, Iowa 50315 [21 Appl. No. 797,823

Primary Examiner-Marvin A. Champion Assistant Examiner-Robert A HaferAttorney-Morton S. Adler [22] Filed Feb. 10, 1969 [4S] Patented Dec.8,1970 ABSTRACT: A mids an connecter for multi lex electrical ca- [54]3:23 SERVICE CONNECTOR, bles particularly adagted for use with thetiiplex cable. This in, 8 Drawing Figs.

I new connecter features a single unit to connect the electrically U.S.Cl.mu...--.-..-....-........-......---u-............ energized or howires and the neuu'al wi 'e ofone or more Ser- 339/242, 339/272 vicelines to the corresponding wires in the secondary or main [51] Int.C's-"m...".......-------.--.....-...-.............---.. cable allconnections being made in the ame plane to im.

H011 l2 prove the aesthetic appearance of such connection locations.

with-"u..."-.-.--...N..........--.....-..... connections are secured asingle type Alien screw 2 2, 2 0-); 43 requiring only the use of asingle size Allen wrench. A neutral connecter of an improved design isused in combination with [56] References Cited the secondary midspanconnecter in improving the ease and U TE STATES PATENTS facility foreffecting these midspan connections. This con- 2,929,861 3/1960 Husted174/43 necter unit is designed to accommodate at least four service2,935,550 5/1960 Gunthel........................ 174/71 connections.

MIDSPAN SERVICE counscroa BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention This invention relates to improvements in secondary andneutral midspan service connectors for electric service lines and isparticularly designed for use with triplex cables.

2. Description of the Prior Art The triplex form of cable including twohot conductors supported by a messengeror neutral strand is in commonuse as a serviceline for supplying electricity to dwellings and thelike. Such service lines have generally been connected into thesecondary or main cablejat the point of supporting poles for said maincable and where such service lines are numerous, a plurality of serviceconnections have been required at individual poles. In recent years,criticism has been directed to the cluttered upaspect of such servicelines at their point of connection to the secondary and, accordingly,more emphasis has been placed on improving the aesthetic appearance ofelectric distribution facilities. The midspan connector has been one ofthe responses to this criticism and this type of connector isillustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,887,524, 3,087,006 and 2,935,550. Theconcept of the midspan connector includes certaininherent problems inattaching the service lines due to minimal clearances between the phaseconductors and the neutral carrier. Separation must be provided at thesetap locations to allow for tool space and electrical clearances. Thisnormally requires a spread of several inches especially when the line isworked hot" and when squeeze-on connections are used as shown in U'.S.'Pat. No. 2,887,524,for example. If the lines are not worked hot,"several of the locations receiving service will experience appreciableoutage time during maintenance activities.

In the multiplex conductors where one or more insulated conductors arewrapped around a supporting bare neutral messenger or carrier, there aremechanical limitations involved clue to the relatively higher tensionrequired and the force necessary to spread the conductors to the desiredspacing. This difficulty increases with largerconductor sizes.

Some of the problems encountered with present midspan connectors includeinsufficientsafety features required by necessary use of connecting.tools for which adequate clearance between the wires must be maintainedtogether with the manipulation and sometimes removal of parts whichincreases installation time. In addition, the construction of suchconnectors frequently results in'a rather unsightly appearance of themass of interwoven loops. Accordingly, it is one of the objects of thepresent invention to provide ,a midspan connector unit as characterizedwhich will permit the greatest number of service lines to be attachedthereto in a minimum of space by incorporating into a single body unit,the service connection terminals in a manner which provides for therequired electrical clearance.

Another object herein is to provide such a connector that requires nodismantling for its operative attachment to the appropriate lines andone which can be safely installed on or removed from an energized line.

It is a further object herein to provide a midspan connector in whichall wires are uniformly aligned in the same direction so as tosubstantially improve the appearance by reducing the apparent mass ofconnections.

Still another object herein is to provide a midspan connector of theabove class in which all wire securing means are designed to be operatedby a single tool of a fixed size with the design of the connector beingsuch that adequate tool clearance is provided and the possibility oftool contact between any conductive terminal and neutral is eliminatedfor all practical purposes.

SUMMARY This new connector includes a molded plastic singlenonconductive body unit which permits connection to both hot wires of a/240 volt secondary circuit without danger from a hazardous shortcircuit being caused by the use of a connecting tool. The plastic bodyunit houses a conductive terminal block assembly for the connection ofat least four pairs of service wires and the charged wires of thesecondary. All service wires are connected to the terminal blockassembly on the same side of said unit in the same plane so as to avoidthe unpleasant appearance of interwoven loops which are so predominantin presently available midspan connectors. All terminal openings for thereception of service lines and the connections for the secondary hotwires are provided with bolts with all of said boltsbeing designed forturning by a single sized Allen wrench which is the only tool required.The plastic body unit also includes a supporting cradle for thesecondary neutral line and associated with this new connector inrelatively close spaced relationship is an improved and newly designedneutral connector which will be attached to the secondary.

The neutral connector is designed so that the terminal openings forreceiving the neutral wire from service lines are oriented perpendicularto the axis of the neutral in the secondary and thereby provides for astraight-on connection of the service line neutrals to the neutralconnector. The neutral connector also includes means for attaching asuitable bail to the service line neutrals as is well known.

With the terminal connectingmeans disposed-within an integral body unit,there is no disassembly and reassembly of parts required in making thenecessary wire connections as is present in many similar devices.

The objects of this invention together with details of the structureoutlined and the advantages of the same will be more fully described anddeveloped in relation to the more detailed description of theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showingthis new midspan connector and illustrating that side 'of this connectoron which there is provided the terminal openings for-the service lines.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of this connector showing the opposite sidefrom that illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a Iongitudinalsectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the neutral connector used with theconnector shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective plan view of the connector of FIG. and theneutral connectorof FIG. 5 in operative connected relationship to thesecondary and to a plurality of service lines.

FIG. 7 is an end view of the connector in FIG. 6 without the servicelines but being broken away at the top to illustrate the attachmentthereto of one of the. hot lines on the secondary.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary bottom portion of the connector shown in FIG. 1showing the interior thereof and illustrating the use of a removableplug for one of the terminal openings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, thisnew connector is designated generally by the numeral 10 and includes anonconductive high impact molded plastic body or housing 12 which,except for the top portion to be referred to later, is substantiallyrectangular in shape as best seen in FIG. 4. Body 12 includes thecentral plastic core portion 14 (FIG. 3) and is provided with theelongated recesses 16 and 18 which communicate with the respectiveopposed side edges of body 12 as seen in FIG. 8. The use of moldedplastic for body 12 provides the necessary mechanical strength andelectrical insulation characteristics desired in this product.

Body 12 is provided at its top central portion with the deep groove 20defining the opposed and spaced wall portions 22 and 24, each of whichhave configuration extending away from groove 20 downwardly andoutwardly to terminate in the arcuate seats 26 and 28 as shown.

One side of body 12 is closed as indicated in FIG. 2 at 30 and the otherside 32 is provided with a row of vertically spaced openings 34 whichcommunicate with recess lilxand said side is likewise provided with asecond row of vertically spaced openings 36 which communicate with therecess 16. Holes in rows 34 and 36 are equal in number and correspondingholes on the same plane are designed to accommodate the respective hotwires in a single service line.

Recesses l6 and 18 are adapted to receive respective conductive terminalblock connector assemblies which are shown best arranged in FIG. 3 anddesignated generally by the numerals 38 and 40. Assemblies 38 and 40, aswill later be referred to in more detail, are an integral terminalconnecting unit for the charged wires in both the service lines and thesecondary as distinguished from the separate terminal connec tion meansfor the service lines and secondary as presently used on other devicesof this type. Such terminal assemblies 38 and 40 may be either cast orbonded into body 12 as shown. Both assemblies 38 and 40 are of likeconstruction so tha n de criot of assembly 38 will suffice for assembly40 where like numbers are given to like parts.

Block 38 is essentially an elongated rectangular unit having spacedpartitions 42 to define a plurality of vertically spaced compartments 44which are each internally threaded to receive a like size Allen headscrew 46. The inner end portion of each compartment 44 is provided witha vertically disposed removable contact or pressure plate 48 which is injuxtaposition to an arcuate inner end 50 in each compartment 44. Eacharcuate portion 50 is disposed to register with one of the openings 36in body side 32 and thus arranged, is designed to receive in a dead endconnection the end of one of the service line hot wires 52. It will beappreciated that insulation will be stripped from the end of such wireand such end is suitably held in place in block 38 by the tightening ofthe screw 44 against plate 48 as seen in FIG. 3.

The upper integral portion 54 of terminal block assembly 38 is disposedadjacent the lower outer side of wall 24 and has the notch portion 56substantially in register with the seat 28. A clamp member 58 forsecuring one of the hot lines 60 in the secondary contains the undercutnotch 62 which is complementary with groove 56 in forming a clamp meansfor conductor 60. Clamp 58 is attached to terminal section 54 by asuitable bolt means 64 which is provided with a head 66 adapted toreceive an Allen head wrench of the same size as that which will turnscrew 46. The tightening of bolt 64 will cause the secondary clamp 58 tomove downwardly on the outer inclined edges of wall 24 to effect asuitable tightening action against conductor 60. In this regard, one endof clamp 58 is notched as at 68 to register with an alignment tab 70provided on the outer upper edge of terminal block 38.

In attaching the conductor 60 to the terminal clamp 53, it is notnecessary to cut any wires since only a small portion ofinsulation needbe removed as is best seen in FIG. 7. Also, in attaching lines 60 of thesecondary, it is pointed out that the walls 22 and 24 form anonconductive barrier between the secondary neutral 72 that will be ingroove 20 and the bolt heads 66 so that with the use of an Allen wrenchas described. there is no danger of the wrench being simultaneously incontact with the conductive assemblies 38 or 40 and the neutral 72 andthis provides an important safety factor in working with triplex cables.

The operative position of this new conductor is best illustrated in FIG.6 where it is seen that the neutral 72 of the secondary is supported ingroove and the hot wires 60 of the secondary are arranged as previouslydescribed. The respective pairs of hot wires from the service lines areall mounted in a dead end connection to side 32 of housing 12 so as topresent a neat appearance and avoid the mass of interwoven andintermingled lines which are so common in other types of midspanconnectors. It will be appreciated that in connecting the secondary andthe service lines to connector 10 that only an Allen head wrench ofasingle size is necessary for tightening the like size screws 44 and thebolt 66.

To support the neutral line 74 from the service lines, I have providedthe newly designed neutral connector 76. This connector includes thesubstantially square connector block 78, on two opposed ends of whichthere is provided the laterally spaced recesses for a deadend'connection with the neutral lines 7d. For this purpose, there isprovided a threaded opening 82 in the top of the connector block 178 fopregistration with each of the respective recesses fitl andin eachopening 82 there is provided a screw 84 of the typ e to receive thesamesize Allen head .wrench usable on screws- 46.. The bottom of block '78is provided with a longitudinal groove 86 which extends transversely ofthe longitudinal axis of recesses 80 andis designed to receive andsecure the. neutral line 72 of the; secondary. Block 78 also includes acomplementary IOWEI'w'.

portion 88 which includes a central section 90 provided with alongitudinal groove 92 which will be complementary with groove 86 forsupporting the neutral 72. Block .78 is attached to the lower portion 88by a pair of screws 94 adapted to receive a like size Allen wrench asthe other screws described. Projecting from each side of the'centersection 90 of the lower member 88 of the neutral connector are the loops96 to which there may be attached the bails )fiwhich are secured to theline 74 of the service lines ina well known manner. It will be notedthat recesses 80 are oriented transversely of the longitudinal axis ofneutral line 72in the secondary so that a straighton connection of theneutral 74'in'the service lines can be made as best seen in FIG. 6 tofurther avoid the appearance of an unsightly interwoven maze of curvingwires.

When less than all of the openings'34 and 36 are in use, the unusedopenings may be enclosed by a suitable plastic plug 100 for frictionalattachment to the required opening. The caps of such plugs are recessedwith a transverse web 102 to facilitate their being grasped by asuitable tool such as pliers or the like for removal.

Iclaim:

1. A midspan service connector, comprising:

a nonconductive housing;

means only on one side of said housing to receive a plurality of pairsof charged wires from a plurality of service lines;

conductive wire connecting means disposed within said housing forattachment to said respective pairs of wires;

one end of said housing being provided with a relatively deep groovedefining spaced nonconductive walls;

said groove adapted to be engaged by the neutral wire in the secondaryofa transmission line;

said conductive wire connecting means being disposed adjacent saidrespective walls and out of communication with said groove; and

said walls serving as nonconductive barriers between the neutral andcharged wires in the secondary of a transmission line.

2. A midspan service connector as defined in claim I wherein:

said nonconductive housing is generally rectangular having one closedside and provided with a respective recess in opposite edges;

the other side of said housing being provided with two rows of spacedopenings of a like number the openings in each respective rowincommunication with one of said respective recesses;

said conductive wire connecting means including:

a first respective wire connection means in each of said recesses havingseparate terminal connection means relative to each opening incommunication therewith "for electrically securing charged wires from aservice line;

a second wire connection means integral with said first wire connectionmeans for electrically securing the respective charged wires in thesecondary of a trans mission line; and

means on said housing to support the neutral ofa secondary transmissionline in spaced relationship to the charged wires therein.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim I wherein said means to receive chargedwires and said conductive wire connecting,

means are operatively effective without requiring any dismantling of thesame.

4. A midspan service connector, comprising:

a nonconductive housing provided with spaced recesses;

a nonconductive core portion in said housing intermediate said recesses;

a terminal block assembly in each recess;

a plurality of wire connecting means in each terminal block assembly forelectrically securing the charged wires in a service line;

separate wire connecting means integral with said terminal blockassembly for electrically securing the charged wires in the secondary ofa transmission line;

service line receiving openings only on one side of said housing wherebyall service lines are operatively attached to said terminal blockassembly from the same side of said housing;

one end of said housing being provided with a relatively deep groovedefining spaced nonconductive walls;

said groove adapted to be engaged by the neutral wire in the secondaryof a transmission line;

said separate wire connecting means being disposed respectively adjacentone of said walls and out of communication with said grooverand saidwalls serving as nonconductive barriers between the neutral and chargedwires in the secondary of a transmission line.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein all of said wire connectingmeans have a tool engaging portion of a predetermined configuration soas to be operably by a single tool of a single size.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said wire connecting meansand said separate wire connecting means are operatively effectivewithout requiring any dismantling of the same.

7. A midspan service connector, comprising:

a nonconductive housing provided with two spaced recesses;

a conductive terminal block secured in each recess;

at least one pair of openings in the same side of said housing with eachopening incommunication with a respective recess and with the oppositeside of said housing being closed;

a respective wire anchoring means in said terminal block operativelydisposed relative to each of said openings to act in a directiontransversely of the axis of said openings;

a groove in one end of said-housing defining spaced nonconductive wallswith said groove designed to be engaged by the neutral wire of asecondary transmission line;

a respective conductive clamp means integral with said terminal blockfor securing the charged wires in the secondary and said clamp meansbeing disposed adjacent the sides of said wall out of contact with saidgroove; and

a second wire anchoring means operatively disposed relative to each ofsaid clamp means.

8. A device as defined in claim 7 wherein each of said wire anchoringmeans is a threadable bolt type member having a head of like design sothat all such means are operable by a single tool of a fixed size.

9. A device as defined in claim 8 wherein the said heads all receive asingle size Allen wrench.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said respective wireanchoring means and said respective conductive clamp means areoperatively effective without requiring any dismantling of the same.

